Medicament spraying means



April 2, 1940. c. s. BEARDSLEY 2,195,554

MEDICAMENT SPRAYING MEANS Filed Feb. 25, 1937 Patented Apr. 2, 1940MEDICAMENT SPRAYING MEANS Charles S. Beardsley, Elkhart, Ind., assignorto Miles Laboratories, Inc., Elkhart, Ind., a corporation of IndianaApplication February 25, 1937, Serial No. 127,667

3 Claims.

This invention relates to means for spraying medicaments, and moreparticularly is directed to a dispenser or spraying apparatus forspraying medicaments of an effervescent character into the throat of apatient without the use of any manually operable pressure developingmeans. i

The familiar type of atomizer now in use for the treatment of nasal andthroat disorders requires a bulb or the like for developing pressure toforce the liquid through the atomizer and spray nozzle. It has also beencustomary, in the treatment of sore throats, throat infections and thelike, to employ a solution for use as a gargle. While gargling is ofsome aid in such cases, the

throat is necessarily closed during gargling, and

hence the benefits of the treatment to a great extent are lost, sincethe solution does not contact the actual infection in the throat.

The present invention contemplates a spraying apparatus for spraying,the throat, or other portions of the anatomy, with an effervescentsolution wherein the pressure developed by the effervescence of thesolution is employed to discharge the solution in spray form at thedesired point. This overcomes the disadvantages of gargling, since thethroat can be maintained open, and hence the spray can be applied to allportions of the infected area.

Another feature of the present invention is that the discharge of thespray can be controlled at the point of generation of the effervescingsolution, and a slight pressure of the finger will control itsdischarge, thus eliminating the need of the usual type of bulb fordeveloping the pressure, and also controlling the discharge of thespray. Such bulbs are usually made of rubber and are subject to rapiddeterioration.

A further feature of the present invention is the provision of aspraying apparatus which can be held and operated by one hand, therebyeliminating the need for using both hands, which has formerly beennecessary in connection with atomizers of the type with which I amfamiliar.

The invention is particularly applicable to the spraying of solutions ofthe type known commercially as Alka-Seltzer, in which an effervescibletable is dropped into a liquidto produce an effervescing solution, andthe invention contemplates the immediate sealing of this solution withina closed chamber controlled by a valve outlet, the valve being undercontrol of the operator, whereby the pressure caused by effervescencewill force. the liquid and aspirated'air out through the spray nozzle tothe desired point of discharge.

The present invention constitutes a continuation in part of my copendingapplication, Serial No. 80,368, filed May 18, 1936, and is directedparticularly to apparatus for carrying out the method claimed therein.

Other objects and advantages of the present invention will appear morefully from the following detailed description, which, taken inconjunction with the accompanying drawing, will disclose to thoseskilled in the art the particular construction and operation of apreferred embodiment of the present invention.

In the drawing:

Figure 1 is a top plan view of'an embodiment of my invention; and

Figure 2 is a longitudinal sectional view of the device shown in Figure1.

Referring now in detail to the particular disclosure shown in thedrawing, I have provided a bottle 50, which is formed of glass and whichhas quick detachable threads 52 at its upper end adapted to be engagedby the interiorly threaded flange 53 of a cap member indicated generallyat 54., Suitable gasket means 55 is provided for sealing the threadedengagement between the cap member and the bottle.

The cap member 54 has a passageway 56 formed therein which is centeredwith respect to the flange 53, and which has 9. depending flange portion51 adapted to receive the stem 58 ex-- tending into the interior of thebottle 50. The lower end of the stem 58 is provided with a screen 59.

Communicating with the upper end of the passageway 56 is a normallyextending passageway 60, having an enlarged portion 62 extendingoutwardly or laterally of the cap member and terminating in aninteriorly threaded portion 63 adapted to receive a discharge tip ornozzle member 64 threaded therein and provided with an axial bore 65terminating in a reduced outlet port 66.

Engaging the shoulder formed between the "passageways 60 and 62, Iprovide a ball member 61, which may be a stainless steel ball or thelike, and which is normally adapted to close the passageway between thepassages 60 and 62.- The ball 61 is normally held in closed position bya spring member 68 biased'at one end against the inner face ofthe nozzle64, .and engaging the ball member at its opposite end for normallyurging the ball member into valve closing position.

ally extending portion 63 of the cap member 54 is a coaxial recess 10,adapted to receive a bushing member 12 threaded into the outer endthereof and serving as a bearing for a valve stem member 13. The valvestem member 13 is provided at its outer end with a threaded nut orbutton member 14, facilitating its engagement by the thumb of theoperator, and intermediate its ends is provided with the collar portionI5 which engages a suitable'shoulder formed on the interior ofthebushing 12 to limit outward movement of the stem 13. The stem 13 isprovided with successively reduced portions 16 and 11, the portion 11being provided with a concave end surface adapted to engage the externalsurface of the ball member 61.

Between the passageway 60 and the passageway the cap member is providedwith an internal shoulder 18, serving as a partial guide for the stemmember 13 and also serving as a retaining shoulder for packing 19carried in the annular portion of the recess 10 about the valve stem 13between the inner end of the bushing 12 and the shoulder 18.

This packing serves to seal the valve stem against leakage of pressuretherepast outwardly through the bushing 12, the bushing 12 beingthreaded into the recess I0 to compress the packing about the externalsurface of the valve stem I3. The shoulder formed between the stemmember 13 and the reduced portion 16 is adapted to engage the shoulder18 for limiting the inward movement of the stem member 13, andconsequently limiting the movement of the ball member 61 away from theshoulder between passages 60 and 62.

It should be noted that the ball member 81 is of smaller diameter thanthe passageway 62, so

that the solution under pressure being discharged from the interior ofthe bottle through the stem 58 and past the valve seat will flow pastthe ball member 61 and into the bore 65 of the discharge tip 64.Adjacent the discharge port. 66, and mounted in the tip in the bore 65,is a spray forming member 80 having a double-threaded opening therepast,whereby the soliuzion passing through the bore 65 is given a whirlingaction which serves to intermix the solution so that it is dischargedfrom the port 66 in a substantially homogeneous form. A suitableaspirating port 82, is provided for allowing air to contac with theeflervescing solution in order to' asp ate'the same and produce anatomizing spray as the solution leaves the discharge port 66.

As a typical example of the manner in which the apparatus disclosed inthe instant application operates, I may provide, in a bottle ofthe sizein which Alka-Seltzer tablets are commonly sold, about one and one-halfinches of water, into which is dropped one tablet of this efiervesciblemedicament. The bottle 5. is then immediately sealed to the cap member54. and with this type of solution a pressure is generated within thebottle of approximately two pounds gauge. This pressure is sumcient tobe retained by the bottle, and consequently the solution will only bedischarged when the plunger or valve stem 13 is forced inwardly todisplace the ball valve 61 from its seat. However, if a greater pressureis developed, the strength of thespring member GI is so calibrated withrespect to the area of the ball member 61 exposed in the passageway 80that the ball member wil be forced from its seat by any pressure abovethe predetermined 2,195,564 Disposed diametrically opposite from thelatermaximum, and consequently constitute a safety valve release for thestructure, preventing. the breakage of the bottle in cases where -aglass bottle is used and pressures are developed greater than the bottleis capable of holding.

It is therefore believed apparent that I have provided a constructionfor carrying out the particular object of the present invention which ismade of relatively few parts, which can be easily machined and which canbe readily assembled for use. The cap member with its component partsper se can form an attachment for any desired type of medicamentdispensing bottle, and can be used over and over again with the same orother bottles of the same type. H

I am aware that various changes may be made in the details ofconstruction and design of the component parts of the present invention,and I therefore do not intend to limit myself to the exact details shownand described, but only insofar as defined by the appended claims.

I claim:

1. An article of manufacture for use in spraying medicament solutionscomprising a cap member adapted to be detachably secured over the openend of a bottle and having sealing engagement therewith, conduit meanscarried by said cap member and extending down to a point adjacent theopposite end of the bottle, a valve stem carried by said cap member andextending nor? mal to said conduit means, a ball valve member in saidcap member engaged by said valve stem, spring means normally holdingsaid valve member in valve closed position, said ball valve member beingso disposed in said cap member as to be urged to the valve open positionby pressure within said bottle whereby said pressure is prevented fromexceeding a predetermined value, a discharge tip carried by-said capmember and coaxially aligned with said valve stem upon the opposite sideof said ball valve member, and means on said stem member engaging saidball valve member for moving the same against the pressure of saidspring to open the passageway between said conduit means and saiddischarge tip.

2. Spraying apparatus comprising, in combination, a glass container forholding the liquid to be sprayed under pressure, a spray head on saidglass container, a conduit extending downwardly from said spray headbelow the level of the liquid in said container, there being apassageway between the space above the liquid and said conduit to permitflow of gas from said space into the liquid flowing out of said conduit,a manually'operable ball valve in said spray head, spray discharge meansin said spray head, there being a passageway between said conduit andsaid spray discharge means controlled by said valve, said valve beingarranged and adapted to be urged to the open position by the pressure insaid glass container whereby the pressure therein is prevented fromreaching a value suflicient to burst the same, and spring means biasingsaid valve to the closed position.

3. Spraying apparatus comprising,'in combination, a frangible tubularcontainer closed at one end and open at the other for holding underpressure the liquid to be sprayed, a cap member detachably mounted onand sealed to the open end of said container, a conduit carried by saidcap member and extending downwardly therefrom below the level of theliquid in said container and opening into a passageway in said capmember extending normally thereto with a shoulder at one end forming asharp-edged valve seat, a ball valve member at said one end of saidpassageway adapted to have line contact with said sharpedged valve seat,spring means biasing said ball valve member into line contact engagementwith said sharp-edged valve seat, a valve stem carried by said capmember and extending normally to said conduit for engaging said ballvalve member to move the same to the open position, and a discharge tipcarried by said cap member in a position coaxial with said valve stemand on the opposite side of said valve member, said ball valve memberbeing arranged and adapted to be urged to the open position against thebiasing force of said spring means by the pressure in said frangiblecontainer whereby the pressure therein is self-limiting.

CHARLES S. BEARDSLEY.

